Image processing apparatus, image processing method and recording medium

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9860516-B2
Application number	US-201314085322-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 20, 2013
Priority date	May 30, 2011
Publication date	Jan 2, 2018
Grant date	Jan 2, 2018

Abstract

So as to obtain color parallax images, it has been necessary to prepare an image capturing optical system and an image capturing element that are complex, to capture the parallax images. In view of this, provided is an image processing apparatus including: an image obtaining section that obtains original image data including a pixel having a pixel value of any of primary colors constituting colors of a subject image and a pixel having a pixel value showing at least a parallax of the subject image; and an image generating section that generates, from the original image data, primary color image data made up of pixels having the pixel value of the primary color, and parallax image data made up of pixels having the pixel value showing the parallax.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An image processing apparatus comprising:
an image processor programmed to execute instructions that cause the image processor to:
obtain original image data from an image sensor that has pixels each containing a pixel value showing any of primary colors constituting colors of a subject image and showing a non-parallax of the subject image, and pixels each containing a pixel value showing any of the primary colors constituting the colors of the subject image and showing at least a parallax of the subject image,
generate, by separating the pixels of the original image data, primary color image data based on the pixels each containing the respective pixel value showing the non-parallax of the subject image, and a plurality of parallax image data sets based on the pixels each containing the respective pixel value showing at least the respective parallax of the subject image, a number of the plurality of parallax image data sets corresponding to a number of parallaxes, and
for each of the plurality of image data sets, interpolate the pixel values of the pixels each containing the respective pixel value showing the non-parallax of the subject image using the pixel values of the pixels each containing the respective pixel value showing at least the respective parallax of the subject image to generate a combination of parallax image data, wherein a number of sets of combined parallax image data in the generated combination corresponds to the number of parallaxes.

2. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the image processor is further programmed to execute instructions that cause the image processor to, for pixels forming the original image data that contain the pixel value showing the parallax of the subject image, interpolate the pixel value showing the primary color to generate a combination of primary image data corresponding in number to a number of the primary colors constituting the colors.

3. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the image processor is further programmed to execute instructions that cause the image processor to generate the primary color image data and the combined parallax image data by including performance of a reversible operation on the original image data.

4. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a memory, wherein the image processor is further programmed to execute instructions that cause the image processor to store the primary color image data and the combined parallax image data in the memory.

5. The image processing apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the image processor is further programmed to execute instructions that cause the image processor to store the primary color image data and the combined parallax image data as a single file in the memory.

6. The image processing apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the image processor is further programmed to execute instructions that cause the image processor to store additional information assigned to the single file in the memory, the additional information including information regarding one of the pixels forming the original image data associated with information indicated by the pixel value of the one of the pixels.

7. The image processing apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the image processor is further programmed to execute instructions that cause the image processor to store, as the additional information in the memory, information identifying a position of a specific targeted pixel, information identifying a primary color and a parallax indicated by a pixel value of the targeted pixel, a period of an array of pixels having pixel values of the primary colors, and a period of an array of pixels having pixel values of parallaxes.

8. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the image processor is further programmed to execute instructions that cause the image processor to generate parallax primary color image data obtained from pixels having a pixel value of any one primary color for any one parallax based on pixel values of pixels in a combination of the primary color image data corresponding to the primary colors constituting the colors and pixel values of pixels in a combination of the parallax image data corresponding to a plurality of types of parallax information corresponding in number to the number of parallaxes, in a combination corresponding in number to the number of parallaxes and the number of the primary colors.

9. The image processing apparatus according to claim 8 , further comprising a memory, wherein the image processor is further programmed to execute instructions that cause the image processor to store the combination of parallax primary color image data in the memory.

10. The image processing apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein the image processor is further programmed to execute instructions that cause the image processor to store the combination of the parallax primary color image data as a single file in the memory.

11. The image processing apparatus according to claim 10 , the image processor is further programmed to execute instructions that cause the image processor to store additional information assigned to the single file in the memory, the additional information including information regarding one of the pixels forming the original image data associated with information indicated by the pixel value of the one of the pixels.

12. The image processing apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein the image processor is further programmed to execute instructions that cause the image processor to store in the memory, as the additional information, information identifying a position of a specific targeted pixel, information identifying a primary color and a parallax indicated by a pixel value of the targeted pixel, a period of an array of pixels having pixel values of the primary colors, and a period of an array of pixels having pixel values of parallaxes.

13. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the image processor is further programmed to execute instructions that cause the image processor to generate brightness image data and color difference image data by converting pixel values of pixels in a combination of the primary color image data corresponding to a plurality of pieces of primary color information constituting colors to pixel values showing brightness information and pixel values showing color difference information.

14. The image processing apparatus according to claim 13 , further comprising a memory, wherein the image processor is further programmed to execute instructions that cause the image processor to store the brightness image data, the color difference image data, and the combined parallax image data in the memory.

15. The image processing apparatus according to claim 14 , wherein the image processor is further programmed to execute instructions that cause the image processor to store the brightness image data, the color difference image data, and the combined parallax image data as a single file in the memory.

16. The image processing apparatus according to claim 15 , wherein the image processor is further programmed to execute instructions that cause the image processor to store additional information assigned to the single file in the memory, the additional information including information regarding one of the pixels forming the original image data associated with information indicated by the pixel value of the one of the pixels.

17. The image processing apparatus according to claim 16 , wherein the ima

Assignees

• Nippon Kogaku Kk

Inventors

• Shibazaki Kiyoshige
• Mori Susumu
• Hamashima Muneki

Classifications

• H04N23/843

  Demosaicing, e.g. interpolating colour pixel values · CPC title

• H04N25/134

  based on three different wavelength filter elements · CPC title

• H04N23/672

  based on the phase difference signals · CPC title

• H04N25/135

  based on four or more different wavelength filter elements · CPC title

• H04N25/133

  including elements passing panchromatic light, e.g. filters passing white light · CPC title